The ACWS is one of the largest Civil War reenacting associations in Southern California, boasting an annual membership, by year-end, of about 800 re-enactors. We are a family oriented, nonprofit, organization dedicated to educating the public through both military and civilian impression. In addition to our military and civilian impressions, we have re-enactors who portray Abraham Lincoln, Mary Todd Lincoln, General and Mrs. Ulysses S. Grant, and General Robert E. Lee.

Our military organization is divided into two brigades - one Union and one Confederate. Each brigade is composed of infantry, artillery, mounted and dismounted cavalry units. We boast such units as the 69th NYSV (Irish Brigade), the 20th Maine, the 6th Wisconsin (Iron Brigade), Battery B Artillery, the 2nd U.S. Cavalry, the 8th Illinois Volunteer Cavalry, the 2nd Kentucky Dismounted Cavalry, McGowen's Brigade Battalion of Sharpshooters 1st Co., The 1st Louisiana Special Battalion, Company B , "Wheat's Tigers", the 8th Louisiana Infantry, Moody's Battery, the 8th Alabama Infantry, the Washington Artillery of New Orleans, and the Sussex Light Dragoons to name a few.

The ACWS Civilian Corps is one of the finest organizations on the West Coast. Our town of "Remembrance" is inhabited by civilian reenactors and their households and townspeople displaying period crafts and trades. Our events at reenactments include a fashion show, a civilian tea, programs for children, a cadet corps, a young ladies finishing school, a brass band, a fully operational field hospital, church services, and much more. Each Saturday evening at an event we have a dance with the Occasional Strings playing and Tom Atkins calling the dance. At one event each year we even have a period base ball game.